Break-dancing originated on the streets of Harlem in New York City.
Break-dancing first came onto the scene in New York City during the 1960s and grew in popularity through the 1970s and '80s. The steps that transformed into break-dancing first appeared in the dance moves of James Brown's "Good Foot," which became known as the "B-Boy". The term b-boy in turn became the slang term for break-dancing itself. There are a few ways to go about learning break-dance online, including detailed lessons, video instruction and chatting on forums with like-minded students of the art.
Instructions
1. Visit online break-dancing instruction sites such as the University of Illinois in Chicago's "Hip Hop" and "Break-dancing" website. Here you will find a list of major break-dance moves along with descriptions, facts and sometimes images of the step being performed. Review these lists and familiarize yourself with the steps and select those you want to learn.
2. Download the "Break-Dance Machine" from LearnToDance.com. Click on the main image for a list of break-dancing moves. Click any of the steps and an animated video of the dance will play, complete with music. The animated figure demonstrates the move while instructions on perform it are described on the right. There is a slow-motion option if you wish to break down the dance move even more precisely.
3. Visit the Cleveland-Underground website for free instructional break-dancing videos. Each video focuses on one individual break-dancing move and consists of a description of the move, and a professional performance of the move, repeated several times in regular and slow motion.
4. Visit break-dancing forums such as BBoy.org and Dance-Classes. Here you can chat with experienced break-dancers as well as beginners and share advice, ask questions and try to get a better understanding of break-dancing as a whole. Use this resource to meet fellow break-dancers, find a break-dancing school near you, or network throughout the break-dancing community.
5. Use the BBoy.org site's "Events Calendar" forum to find break-dancing shows and scheduled performances in locations throughout the United States. Visiting a live show and watching professionals perform the moves can help you see how they are meant to look and can give you something to emulate in your own dancing.
